Tuesday, April 1, 2014

What's Growing On - MGOI Spring Newsletter

Master Gardeners of Ontario

Serving Ontario for Over 25 Years

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In this Issue....

Brugmansia

Mike Pineau, Peterborough

For my money, the exotic and spectacular flowers of Brugmansia are a must have on the summer patio or border. This tropical American plant genus hails from the lowlands of Brazil and Ecuador and botanically belongs in the large Solanaceae family which includes Datura, potato, tomato, petunia and tobacco. The large 9" pendant, tubular and fragrant Brugmansia suaveolens X B versicolor hybrids predominate in cultivation but other species are also involved in the genetics of some of the named types. The flowers come in pastel shades of pink, yellow and white on 5 to 8 foot plants and are ideal for tub culture in full sun to partial shade. Read more...

Bundling Up

Edythe Falconer, Ottawa-Carelton

Moisture - In some situations we only get one chance. This is especially true with regard to watering new or even well-established cedar hedges if the fall leading up to freeze-up has been particularly dry. It also applies to dry spells in the spring. If hedges are not well-watered in the fall they become desiccated and may suffer permanent damage. The same is true in the spring when root systems have not yet had time to re-establish themselves. Read more...

Defiance

Crystal Trojek

Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

There’s a crusty little visitor on my doorstep this morning. Coated in ice and dusted in snow, my metal plant stand resides there, filled with now russet Christmas greens, broken branches, plaid ribbon, berries, and artificial pomegranates. At least I know that’s what is under that white stuff. The stand is about to share its remorse on the entryway carpet in a flood of apologetic tears. The stand has numerous possibilities, and is about to receive a smart new spring wardrobe. Read more...

Have a Safe Pruning Spring

Alexandra Wiens, Prince Edward County Master Gardeners

This past winter has been a very challenging season for gardeners. Many of us have watched helplessly while ice, snow and wind have ravaged and damaged some of our favourite trees and shrubs. When the snow finally retreats this spring there will be plenty of debris on lawns and gardens. Many trees have broken limbs and branches that need to be removed. Read more...

M.Y.O.B.

Tom McCavour, Simcoe County

In the 1930’s, a slang version of Mind Your Own Business became Mind Your Own Beeswax. Well fellow gardeners, I think that we all should all be minding not only our own beeswax but the beeswax of the world. Our bees are in trouble, there are mass deaths in our bee colonies, which threaten not only the farming community, but also you and me. I love honey, spread on my morning toast, I love honey garlic sausage and honey in my tea; I like honey on my pancakes and honey on my salad. I just like honey period. Read more...

Natives vs Aliens - Challenging our Ethics

Astrid Muschalla – Etobicoke

When educating people on the value of natives vs aliens, I’m often asked, “Why are we allowing these imports, if they are so dangerous to our natural environments?”

It’s a messy topic but one worth sorting through in our minds as we talk to the public about plant choices, especially in the face of extreme climate variables like this winter. We hear from many scientists, like Dr. Douglas Tallamy (author Bringing Nature Home), that biodiversity is an essential and non-renewable natural resource, yet few are thinking like this. It’s argued that selecting for ornamentals creates fragmented and small populations which are vulnerable and can lead to local extinctions. We are also learning that we can turn this trend around but we need to share our spaces. The trouble with planting an alien though, is that it’s not really ecologically equivalent to a native because aliens are poor at supporting other life forms (aka ecosystems services). In other words, non-natives don’t usually form functional communities, which also include the soil microbiology. Read more...

Baby It's Cold Outside

Kevin Kavanagh – Norfolk

At South Coast Gardens (www.southcoastgardens.ca), anxious clients are beginning to ask what they can do about plants that are starting to show wear and tear from a winter known for its punishing pre-Christmas ice storm, record-breaking -40⁰C windchills and the bone-chilling cold associated with the Arctic weather phenomenon now popularly known as a ‘Polar Vortex.’ While some of the news headlines may seem more media hype than cold reality, temperatures over the past three months do, in fact, show this to be a below normal winter across the southern Great Lakes Region (and beyond). With this in mind, I’ve prepared some reflections on the kind of winter it’s been (to date) and offer some insight and tips into ways to help recover plants damaged by the prolonged cold. Here is a link to Kevin's full article.

Message to Master Gardeners in Ontario

Jane Beck, President MGOI

Last October Ontario Master Gardener Coordinators gathered at their
annual conference to share experiences, exchange ideas and inspire the
Board. Most importantly, Coordinators
told us what they expected from their provincial organization. The focus was on
policy, education, communications, partnerships and fundraising, promotion and
membership, and events. Within these topics we clarified the value needed to prosper. And, we began to discuss what to improve so
that the Board may better serve all its members.

Your Board has taken this direction to heart. Your Education
Committee launched the new MGOI Reference Manual, a comprehensive study guide
and educational resource for any Master Gardener. This is an extraordinary
example just how the Board can support and add value to the entire
organization. And, it’s just the
beginning. Your Board is considering
every aspect of what we do and how we can do things better or more effectively.
We met in January and will meet again in March to chip away at this huge
undertaking. You will be kept informed
about the progress made. Many small
improvements can make a big difference. The small things we will simply go
ahead and ‘do’; the bigger issues, we will be asking for your ‘thumbs up’ agreement
to proceed. Changes must make sense to the majority. Stay tuned for the new and
improved.

MGs in Action

Haliburton

Sue Flinders-Adams,
Haliburton

The Haliburton County
Master Gardeners are working with the Coalition of Haliburton Property
Owners Associations (COHPOA) on a Shoreline Restoration Project. We have developed a 52 page PDF document on Native
Shoreline Plants that will be posted on their website. Future plans in this area include a
presentation to the association for February of 2015.

We are developing a Group
Presentation on Pruning, which will include a 15-20 minute power point ‘Introduction
to Pruning’. This will be followed by
four small group pruning workshops including roses, clematis, flowering shrubs,
conifers, and fruit trees. Presentations will be held at:

Minden and District
Horticultural Society, October 7, 7:00 p.m., Minden Community Centre

In addition, individual
members will be making presentationsfor the Minden and District
Horticultural Society on various topics including; Hosta of the year,
Accessible Gardening, Permaculture, Vegetable Growing, Garlic Scapes, and Propagating
Christmas Cacti. The same member will
also be available to give gardening advice during their meeting break.

We have completed a plan
to rejuvenate the Village Garden Green in Minden and have submitted an
application for a grant from the Ontario Horticultural Society to help to cover
the cost.

Our focus will soon be on
our Annual Plant Sale to be held on May 31 at the Village Green in Minden.

On July 12, we will be
doing an Advice Clinic for the Bobcaygeon Garden Tour from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Our on-going project
is to maintain and update our website with information from all of our
presentations over the last four

London Middlesex Master Gardeners –
Seedy Saturday Success

Cheryl Losch, London Middlesex

Stubborn
Old Man Winter didn’t deter record attendance at the London Middlesex Master
Gardeners 7th Annual Seedy Saturday.Saturday,
March 8th welcomed us with damp, cold temperatures and the threat of
freezing drizzle. By 9:30 am, people were lined up out the door for an event
that began at 10. The message was loud and clear – “Let Garden Season Begin!” And
begin it did. There was something for everyone at Seedy Saturday. Seed vendors, a seed exchange, sprouts, herbs,
plants, books, garden decor and lawn care, to name just a few.The
London Middlesex Master Gardeners did not disappoint. A day filled with standing-room only
presentations and demonstrations delighted attendees and taught many new ways
to look at how they work, and play, in their yards and gardens. Coordinator
Dorothy McGee shared her knowledge of growing from seeds using recycled
material. One new gardener in attendance assisted with the demonstration and
took home an egg carton filled with newly planted Brandywine tomato seeds that she
will be able to nurture and enjoy during the eventual heat of summer. Sara Ragalyi taught us how to test and improve
soil conditions, including the best options for amending both clay and sand,
and offered suggestions for plants that would thrive in varying grades of
garden soil. Jennifer Grant demonstrated how a “Better Lawn IS Possible”,
with tips and easy techniques to enhance grass growth and vibrancy, and Rosemarie
Szalich shared natural and easy-to-use remedies for garden pests, and those nasty
weeds that seem to grow no matter what the weather delivers.The
favourite by far was, “Gardening
Vertically and in Any Little Space”, a visual discovery presented by Ron
Rossini on how anyone can make the most of their space and increase yields,
regardless of the size, or location of the patch. By growing upward using
walls, trellis’ and various support structures everyone can experience the
glory of gardening all season long.As
people left the event, the enthusiastic feedback was tremendous. “This year’s Seedy Saturday was the best ever,”
was a common accolade. I also do believe I heard someone say, as they bundled
up and ventured back out into the bitterness of the dull, cloudy day, “Spring
has arrived.”

Events

April 11, 12 and 13 –The Peterborough Garden
Show, organized by gardeners for gardeners. Friday 5:00 p.m. to 9: p.m.; Saturday 10:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Evinrude Centre, 911
Monaghan Rd. Peterborough Admission $7, children 12 and under free when
accompanied by an adult. The Show is jointly organized by the Master Gardeners and the Peterborough Horticultural Soc. Visit www.peterboroughgardens.ca for more
information.

Saturday, June 7 from
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Niagara-on-the-Lake Shaw Guild Garden Tour. Tickets: $20.00. This annual fundraising garden tour will
reveal seven more magnificent secret gardens in the lovely Old Town area
of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Many varieties of plants, trees, and
perennials nestled around historic homes, or looking over the Niagara River
will be yours to enjoy along with the courtyard and balcony gardens of a
condominium complex. Some gardens are more formal with trimmed
hedges and walking paths throughout while others ramble over large estate
acreage. Master Gardeners will be on site to answer questions.
Tickets can be ordered at the Shaw Festival Box Office 1-800-511-7429.

Saturday, June 21 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine. Peterborough and Area MGs 25th
Anniversary Garden Tour featuring 10 Peterborough gardens, each with a special
feature. A ‘specialty plant’ sale, art
and music in the gardens and there will even be urban chickens. Tickets are $20.00, which are available at
selected members of the Garden Route.
For more information: www.peterboroughgardens.ca/tour

The registrations for this year’s
M.G.O.I. Summer Workshop are already being received by the Niagara Parks School
of Horticulture. There is a great deal of interest in this year’s program,
which is:

“Biological Communication: The
Mechanism for Success”

“The Life of the Tropical Houseplant:
Examining the origins and production culture of the household tropical

A brief Program Outline is on the
M.G.O.I. website at www.mgoi.ca,
under “Latest News” on the home page and in the news blog under
“Workshops”. We are only able to have two instructors this year, and so
are limited in the number of participants, no more than 40. For this
reason, if you wish to attend the workshop, we would recommend registering as
soon as possible. The cost for the workshop is $250.00, and we are
pleased to be able to tell you that the Board has approved the request to give
each Master Gardener and Master Gardener in Training $50 .00 upon completion of
the workshop, to help offset their costs in attending.

Although the workshop is held
in July when the weather is very hot, consideration is given to having a
flexible schedule, and often the indoor sessions are held at the hottest time
of the day. In addition, tents are set up throughout the gardens, with
seating and each station has a cooler with ice and water to make sure everyone
stays hydrated when outdoors.

A group rate has again been
negotiated with the Niagara College and Residence Centre, which is $84.95 plus
taxes a night, based on a two-night stay. This price includes a
continental breakfast. For further information or to make a reservation,
please contact mparente@stayrcc.com or by telephone
at 1-877-225-8664.
Be sure to mention that you are with the Master Gardener group to be assured of
the reduced rate.

If you would like to receive
registration information, or have any questions about the workshop, please
contact June at streadwick@sympatico.ca or by telephone
at 905-934-6137.

15 Years

20 Years

25 Years

Toronto – Ann Johnson, Anna Leggatt, Alice Wikaru

Transfers

Niagara – Dan
Cooper (from Toronto)

Retirements

Durham – Beth Cook, Joan Kerr,
Susan ShepherdCelebrations

On
Thursday, March 13th, Mississauga Master Gardeners celebrated their 20th
Anniversary with dinner at the Mandarin restaurant. Certificates of
Recognition were presented to founder members: Shirley Daniels, Errol Falconer,
Marie Pearson. Philip Stuart was unable
to attend and he received his certificated at a later time. Shirley Daniels was also presented with
a Certificate of Appreciation for her Dedicated Leadership and Outstanding
Service in support of the founding of the group.